Sash-fastener



(No Model. I v w P. S. DUNN.

SASH FASTENER.

No. 558,366. Patented Apr. 14,1896.

qwwmeoaeq t S 31 GUM/net UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

lETER s. DUNN, or BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SASH-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,366, dated April 14', 1896.

Application filed Tune 12,1895. Serial No. 552,589. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PETER S. DUNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Branford, in the town of Branford, county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sash-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic sash-lock of strong, simple, and durable construction, adapted to be easily manufactured and applied to the sash-rails, and which shall be very effective and reliable in operation. Its design is such that it is selffastening or automatic, being adapted to look by the mere engagement of the parts as the windows are closed to place and also easily unlocked by upward pressure upon a lever.

The invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of a ratchet-toothed striker attached to the rear sash-rail and a spring-actuated pawl or swinging engagingarm suitably mounted in a base upon the front rail, and in the construction of parts, as herein after more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved sash-lock, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section showing the interior, the dotted lines in this and the preceding figure representing the sash-rails and showing the position of the lock thereon. Fig. 4 is a front view of the lock. 'Fig. 5 is a lengthwise vertical section on line 00 to, Fig. 3, showing the striker from the front.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a base-plate adapted to be secured to the meeting-rail of the front or lower sash by means of the usual screws a, passing through a suitable perforation in the casting. Upon the base and formed integral therewith is a case or housing 13, having a slot b in its top or cap and trunnion-bearings b at either side of the slot. Through the slot 1) a pawl O is passed, integrally formed with the arm or lever 0, having trunnions or cylindrical proj ections c on its sides fitting and adapted to rest in the-bearings b of the housing; but

the said trunnions do not serve as the fulcrum of the lever, for the pivotal bearing of the lever is the rear edge or lip d of the slot b or metal of the cap, which is rounded, as shown, and adapted to enter a pocket or hearing 6 in the lever at the junction therewith of the pawl O, the aforesaid trunnions serving, when resting in their bearings, to hold the'lever rearward with the bearing 6 in engagement with and resting against the lip d. A spiral spring f is arranged to act between the lower end of the pawl and front wall 12 of the case and held in place by suitable projections g on said parts. The spring tends to swing the pawl rearward, at the same time forcing the front end of the lever down upon the front side 12 of the top of the case as a stop and holding the trunnions c in their bearings. The rear end B of the lever projects over and also is adapted to bear upon the flat rear surface 13 of the top of the case.

The rear side of the pawl O is serrated or notched to provide a series of ratchet-teeth h, which are adapted to engage similar teeth upon a part or striker is, integrally formed upon a suitable base-plate L, which is fastened by screws L upon the meeting-rail of the upper or rear sash, (denoted by the dotted lines m in Figs. 2 and 3,) the dotted lines m in said figures denoting the front meetingrail. Both the rear and front sides of the said part or striker are somewhat inclined, as shown, so that the post tapers upward, and the rear interior surface t of the case is also inclined, corresponding to and adapted to the rear side of the said part or striker. The said part or striker projects over and into the plane of the front sash-rail, and the rear side of the front base-plate and rear surface of the case or housing is substantially coincident with the joint 8 between the meeting-rails:

Constructed as hereinbefore described and shown, the operation of my improved sashlock is as follows: As the windows are moved to place, the rear sash upward and the front sash downward, the post or striker will enter the case or housing B between the rear wall thereof and the depending pawl O, the spring f yielding and permitting the ratchetteeth of the pawl and striker to pass over each other until the sash are seated firmly and brought to rest, when the said ratchetteeth will be forced into engagement by the spring and securely lock the parts together. As the fulcrum d of the pawl is directly over the vertical plane of the ratchet-teeth, no amount of strain applied to the sash will disengage the interlocking projections, but if the front end of the lever C be raised the pawl will be swung forward and disengaged from the striker and allow the front sash to be raised or the rear sash pulled down. It is an advantage of this peculiar form of sash-lock that the pressure applied to the lever O to unlock the lock will, if continued, raise the sash, whereby a single motion only is required for unlocking and throwing up the sash, and they may be as easily closed and locked by simply pushing the sashes to place. It will readily be seen that the inclined surfaces of the back of the striker and rear wall of the case will draw the parts together in the act of locking, thus tightly closing the joint between the meeting-rails, and thereby excluding the weather and preventing rattling of the sashes, and as the interlocking parts are inclosed and hidden they cannot be reached and unlocked by the insertion of a knife or other instrument through said joint from without.

It will be seen that the weight of the lever C tends to serve the same function in automatically locking the parts, as the spring f, but the use of the spring in connection therewith is preferable.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a sash-fastener the combination of the front base-plate provided with a rectangular housing open at the top and having the overhanging rear bridge orbearin g, and the guidenotches in the upper edges of the side Walls of the housing, the lever having a rear part adapted to bear upon said bridge, and projections received in the guide-notches, and provided with a ratchet-toothed part depending Within the walls of the housing, a spring received between the said toothed part and the front of the l1ousing,and a vertical ratchettoothed stud mounted on the rear sash-rail and adapted to enter the housing between the rear wall thereof and the toothed part of the lever to engage the lever in the operation of locking the parts, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

PETER S. DUNN.

\Vitnesses:

GEO. W. STORE, FRANK. T. MAoEE. 

